L.D. Beyer's Blog, page 7
May 14, 2016
Easter Rising – Rebels
The Rebels took the war to the British, fighting fire with fire.
The Devil’s Due to be released this June
My latest book, The Devil’s Due, is scheduled to be released this June. Watch for the cover release in the next couple of weeks. The Devil’s Due is set in Ireland during the Easter Rising. Read below for a brief overview…
A country at war. A man on the run. A woman left behind. Can a wayward son ever go home?
Guilty of a crime he didn’t commit, IRA soldier Frank Kelleher flees through the streets of war-torn Ireland with both the British and the Irish Republican Army trying to put a bullet in his head. He makes his way to America under an assumed name and with a forged passport, as the war in Ireland rages on. Settling in a new land, he finds he can’t let go of his past. Haunted by the fiancée he was forced to leave behind, by the deaths of three friends at his own hand, and by the country he was forced to abandon, Frank struggles to make his way in 1920s New York.
As much as he can’t let go of Ireland, he finds that Ireland can’t let go of him—and his past has a way of finding him, thousands of miles and an ocean away. After a chance encounter leaves him bruised and shaken, he realizes he’s no longer safe, not even in America. He dreams of going home but knows that it could get him killed. Then an anonymous letter brings news about his fiancée Kathleen and he realizes that he no longer has a choice. A cease-fire is declared and Frank sails home with dreams of finding Kathleen, putting his past behind him, and starting a new life.
When he arrives, he finds that the Ireland he dreamed of was just that—a dream. With British soldiers withdrawing, long-standing feuds resurface, and his fellow countrymen begin choosing sides. As the country teeters on the brink of another war, Frank learns that his sins will not be easily forgiven, and that he and Kathleen will never be safe unless he can clear his name.
If the looming war doesn’t kill him, trying to right the wrongs of his past just might.
May 13, 2016
Easter Rising
Six days of fighting had taken its toll.
May 12, 2016
Eviction Scene
After centuries of being kicked out of their homes and off their land, the Irish finally rose up against their oppressors. 
Interviewed by As the Page Turns
I was interviewed by the As the Page Turns blog about writing and about my most recent book, An Eye for an Eye. Here’s an excerpt:
Q: What themes do you explore in An Eye For An Eye?
A: This is the story of two men. For one, it’s the story of his quest to make sense of traumatic events in his past and to find peace. And for the other, it’s the story of his quest for power and control; but when the one thing he values above else is stolen from him, it’s a story of revenge.
Q: Why do you write?
A: Most of my career has been spent in some fairly black and white fields. Finance, and earlier on, accounting—these are fields that typically do not reward creativity. Writing is what I do to find balance in my life. It’s a right brain, left brain thing.
Writing is cathartic and the journey of writing is its own reward. It’s really cool to start with a blank page and watch as the story develops and takes shape and as a character’s personality crystalizes over time. While it’s a great feeling to complete a novel, the journey of writing is rewarding in and of itself. Through the research I do, I learn many things I didn’t know, I meet many interesting people and I can see my writing style becoming more refined along the way.
Q: How picky are you with language?
A: It depends. Dialogue should be real and people rarely use proper English when speaking. So I’m not hung up on language conventions in writing dialogue. At the same time, though, descriptions of scenes need to evoke images in the reader’s mind, so language is crucial for this. I keep Dictionary.com book-marked in my search engine and the app is on my phone. When I’m writing, I’m constantly checking meanings, looking for the right synonym, and trying to find a better way to convey a particular thought.
Q: When you write, do you sometimes feel as though you were being manipulated from afar?
A: It’s funny that you mention this. I was discussing this very thing with another writer last night. It’s really cool to start with a blank page and watch as the story unfolds, sometimes taking twists and turns I never expected. Even the characters tend to develop and evolve on their own. After giving them a nudge, they tend to go in directions I never envisioned when I first began typing. I know that sounds like I’m merely a play-by-play reporter, sitting on the sidelines and describing the action as it happens before me. It’s not quite that remote but the story does tend to take on a life of its own.
Q: What is your worst time as a writer?
A: Frankly, when life—my day job, family priorities—gets in the way. Sometimes it’s tough to carve out the time to write and to make meaningful progress. But these things tend to ebb and flow so I’m learning patience.
Eviction Scene
After centuries of being kicked out of their homes and off their land, the Irish finally rose up against their oppressors. 
May 11, 2016
Submitted guest blog at Voodoo Princess on being a writer
So you’re a writer too
by L.D. Beyer
New writers are always asking other writers for advice. We want to learn from those who went before us, hopefully avoiding the mistakes our more seasoned colleagues made, and possibly, just possibly, fining an easier path to success. Here’s a few things I picked up during my journey to become a writer.
Write every day. This is the advice I heard most often when I started writing. Write for as long as you can, each day, even if it’s only for fifteen minutes. While I’ll admit that I don’t always follow this advice, like any skill, writing takes practice and you will become better over time. Look at how many hours professional athletes or musicians devote to their craft. Writers need to do the same.
Read everything you can within your genre or chosen field. Learn how other writers approach their craft and along the way you’ll learn what an intriguing protagonist, a compelling plot, and an engaging dialogue look and sound like.
Network with other writers. We tend to think alike and, even if it’s to commiserate on our all too common failures, writers tend to be very supportive of each other. At a minimum, it’s a great excuse to get out of the house for a cup of coffee.
Learn everything you can about publishing, whether it’s traditional or self-publishing. Yesterday’s rules for success are not today’s and new writers need to be aware of how rapidly the publishing and book retailing world are changing.
Beware the charlatans. There are many people and businesses preying on writers, hoping to sell their cure all for your writing ills, their secret formula to your publishing success, promising they can open supposedly closed doors and bring you fame and fortune. If this were the early 1900’s, many of these would be called Snake Oil Salesman. Do yourself a favor and ask for references first. Check out Predators and Editors to find out which advisors and firms are reputable and which should be avoided like the plague. A simple rule: if they ask for money up front, walk away.
Martial Law Declared
The harsher the oppression, the louder the cries for freedom.
May 10, 2016
Easter rising
700 years of oppression at the hands of the British had taken it’s toll.
